The Next To The Last E-mail...

So.. 

I'm pretty excited to see you all, but I'm super excited for the Group Conference this weekend! haha. We're all praying that the Area presidency will approve the branch before the conference. That way president Kuceki will be able to choose a branch president when he comes.

This week we worked hard. As usual... haha. I don't think I will change much in the way I'm working, just maintain the spirit I have and the determination that's mine. I'll be going to Goiânia Tuesday, and I fly out Thursday I think. So that leaves me a couple days to think about home. Right now I can keep focused and know I'll have that time here in a week.

This week we'll keep working with the families that are coming to church. Excited to see the results that we're having in reactivation, for sure there will be some baptisms from it.

Found out that a woman I taught in Goiânia got baptized. We always taught the husband when she wasn't home, trying to help him progress. In the end it looks like she seperated from him, and at the baptism she cried because she was so happy, despite the sacrifices.

Eduardo came to church for the second time, brought his wife with him! We found out that since the day he talked with us on the street and found out that the church is here in Catalão, he stopped drinking. He used to drink everyday, his wife was shocked. This last lesson he committed to stop smoking, and soon we will ordain him a priest. His wife loved the church and said she had almost given up on God, because all the churches she went to didn't make any difference, but she LOVED the relief society lesson, that was about being happy during trials.

Love youAll!

Elder Wallace

Seven Brides For Seven Brethren!

This week we went to city hall twice to mark the weddings of two families that are preparing for baptism! We have a whopping total of Seven Families that will get married so that they can be baptized. In most of these families either the husband or wife is already a member, and the spouse is preparing for baptism. 

In the mission, we've been taught to really look for people that are ready for baptism, that are already married or that are single. But these investigators have been coming to church every week, so we've starting focusing on them more and more. We were able to mark a wedding this week for February 20th. The rest of the families have either asked their relatives to send them the documents necessary, or are waiting for the documents to arrive.

When we went to mark one of the weddings, we had planned to be the testimonies, (Elder Caetano and I). I thought it would all work out, because in Barra do Garças Elder Winkel was a testimony for Erica and Tiago to get married. Little did I know. Since then Brazil has changed it's laws. We called another investigator that lives nearby, and pulled a stranger from the street to sign the paper. Our investigators were happy that it all worked out in the end, and the stranger was happy to oblige.

We'll have the Group conference on February 1st. They've rented an activity room in a hotel to be able to fit everyone, also so we won't be sweating it out because we'll have air conditioning! 

This week we'll go after the rest of the records that we need and work hard to be able to have a bunch of people visiting the day president comes.

This week we also had a few miracles. Eduardo, A member of the church that was baptized in another state, found us while we were knocking on doors. He was going to deliver medicine to an address in that same street.

Love you all!

Elder Wallace

Hey Family!

So this week we had a record of attendance at church, 51 people!!!!

We're so excited for how fast Catalão is growing. But that means LOTS of work for me and my companion. We're the only two missionaries, and there isn't really a visiting teaching or home teaching program. But we're working together with the other members to be sure that everyone that needs visits is getting them. 

I've been working a lot and got sick a few times, but everytime I left home to work, even being sick, I didn't feel the least bit sick the whole day. I know that the Lord blesses me. It's because of the blessings of the temple and living the word of wisdom that I can walk all day long for two years!!! haha. 

The best news of all is that President Kuceki will come visit here January 31st. If everything works out with the Area Presidency he will call THE NEW BRANCH PRESIDENT!!! 

So for these two weeks We'll be running around and collecting information from the less-actives, to get their member records here to show we have all the members nessesary (on top of everything else!) haha. But I've never been busier or happier.

Love you all!

Elder Wallace

Só milagres em Catalão!!!

So this week was another week full of miracles.

We were kind of worried about the attendance at church because Marcelo and Salete went to the temple. But we worked really hard and it payed off. We had 44 people at church and we had 13 investigators!!!

The branch is really close to becoming a reality! we're really excited for all the good things happening in our area. One of the tender mercies we had this week is that another family of members moved to Catalão!!! Salete almost cried from happiness because it's not easy being the only super active family here. 

Another Miracle was that we were talking to the guy who takes your money on the bus, and found out he is a member!!! We gave him a book of mormon and he said "I never forgot that this is the true church" It was so cool and he showed up on sunday really early to help us set up chairs!!! 

Our recent converts both had testimony building experiences this week. It was so cool to see how the Holy Ghost is helping them now that they are baptized.

I'll tell more next week because my time's up! haha

Love you all!

Elder Wallace

The Xburger has:

Bread

Meat

Ham

Bacon

Corn

Tomatoe

Lettuce

Pineapple

A hot Dog

Cheese

Very delicious.

And a pic of the couple that fed us on new year's eve. Eli and Cleide. Cleide is pres. Claudio Costa's (area president) sister.